The Professionalisation of Touristic Instagramming: A practice study of travel influencers and their contribution to the creation and consumption of tourist images
Author
Detje, Therese
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-05-31
Pages
75
Abstract
Flere brands hyrer Instagram-influencere for at nå deres målgrupper. Influencere er personer med mange følgere, som opfattes som troværdige smagsdommere. Dette studie undersøger rejseinfluencere – dem, der former, hvordan turisme ser ud på Instagram – og spørger, hvilke materialer, rutiner og beslutninger der indgår i deres daglige arbejde med turistisk Instagramming (at tage og dele rejsebilleder på Instagram). I stedet for kun at fokusere på marketingresultater eller motivationer ser projektet på praksis: ikke bare på de billeder, der lægges op, men på, hvordan de bliver til. Med kvalitative metoder – netnografi (studier af online fællesskaber), interviews og deltagerobservation – følger studiet influencere tæt. Feltarbejdet omfattede en ugelang influencertur med Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath), beskrevet som Australiens første professionelle Instagrammer. Resultaterne giver et detaljeret billede af, hvordan rejseinfluencere planlægger, producerer, redigerer og deler indhold. Sammenlignet med amatører er deres praksisser mere raffinerede, strategiske og omfattende, men mønstrene siger også noget om turistisk Instagramming generelt. Med udgangspunkt i idéer om turistblikket (hvad turister søger), performativitet (hvordan man optræder for et publikum) og identitetshåndtering (hvordan man kuraterer sin offentlige persona) viser studiet, at det, der sker på stedet, ofte afviger fra de idealiserede verdener, der præsenteres online. Instagram-opslag udvælger og redigerer ofte scener for at skabe polerede, aspirerende versioner af virkeligheden. Influencere forstærker disse idealer og sætter uformelle standarder for, hvordan god turismefotografi ser ud. Kommercielle mål og personlige ambitioner skubber dem mod billedtyper, der med sikkerhed giver likes og nye følgere. Følgere giver influencere synlighed og indflydelse, men styrer dem samtidig til at gentage velprøvede formler. Disse dynamikker afspejler bredere turistadfærd: Mange rejsende arbejder i stigende grad med indtryksstyring og præsenterer en ideal identitet gennem feriebilleder online. Dermed bliver klassiske turistmotiver styrket. Hvor det traditionelle turistblik søger det ekstraordinære, peger et nyere, selvrettet blik på, at folk rejser og fotograferer for at projicere en idealiseret version af sig selv.
Many brands now hire Instagram influencers to reach their audiences. Influencers are people with large followings who are seen as trusted tastemakers. This study examines travel influencers — the people who shape how tourism looks on Instagram — and asks what materials, routines, and decisions make up their everyday work of touristic Instagramming (taking and sharing travel photos on Instagram). Rather than focusing only on marketing outcomes or motivations, the project looks at practice: not just the images influencers post, but how those images are made. Using qualitative methods — netnography (observing online communities), interviews, and participant observation — the study follows influencers at close range. The fieldwork included a week-long influencer trip with Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath), described as Australia’s first professional Instagrammer. The findings offer a detailed picture of how travel influencers plan, produce, edit, and share content. Compared to amateurs, their practices are more refined, strategic, and comprehensive, yet they reveal patterns that also apply to travel Instagramming more broadly. Drawing on ideas about the tourist gaze (what tourists look for), performativity (how people act for an audience), and identity management (how people curate public images), the study shows that on-the-ground performances often differ from the idealized worlds presented online. Instagram posts commonly select and edit scenes to create polished, aspirational versions of reality. Influencers reinforce these ideals and set informal standards for what good tourism photography looks like. Commercial goals and personal ambitions push them toward image types that reliably get likes and new followers. Followers, in turn, grant influencers visibility and influence, but also steer them to repeat proven formulas. These dynamics mirror broader tourist behavior: many travelers increasingly manage impressions and present ideal identities through their holiday photos. As a result, classic images of tourism are strengthened. While the traditional tourist gaze seeks the extraordinary, a newer, self-directed gaze drives people to travel and take photos that project an idealized version of themselves.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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